Alive
by Neopuff
Summary: Miyamoto, Jessie's mother, has come back after being missing for almost twenty years! How is Jessie supposed to react? Will she go with her mother or stay with James and Meowth? Rocketshipping James/Jessie Kojiro/Musashi
1. Return

Any references to Jessie's past [including like ages and exactly how long Miyamoto was gone] are in reference to my story 'That's Life' where I take apart Jessie's backstory piece-by-piece. Most of it should be pretty self-explanatory either way, so you don't really need to read that to understand this.

Expect Rocketshipping in the chapters to come! I can't avoid it - I'm obsessed.

Just a note: this doesn't follow the anime's story. It's after they've met the twerps [ie Ash, Misty, and Brock], but before they've left the Kanto region, I guess. There's still Weezing and Arbok :D ALSO I am [normally] a slight supporter of Giovanni being Jessie's dad after, like, a one-night-stand with Miyamoto or something. It'd be interesting, anyway (cuz Giovanni could also be Ash's dad and them WHOA half-siblings xD). But not in this fic, although there may be references to a romance/unrequited love situation in here, I'm not 100% sure yet.

Enjoy!

-----

_Alive_

Chapter One: Return

-----

Her return was as silent as the night itself.

The woman's dark purple hair had grown impressively over the years, luckily she managed to cut it at some point and rid herself of the nuisance. Her bones, now twenty years older than before, were tired and unable to handle the stress of her profession any longer. There was a potential for so much change within the last twenty years that she was terrified: what had become of her organization?

More importantly, what had become of her daughter?

Her daughter: that precious, adorable, beautiful girl she claimed to have no choice but to give away. It's true, she couldn't have given the girl a very bright future. However...did the orphanage? Did her lovely little girl find her way into happiness? Did she find her Prince Charming?

Luckily for her, it was the middle of the day. Miraculously, she had enough energy to quickly buy some clothes that fit (unfortunately she'd thinned tremendously over so many years of scavenging for food) and grab a bite to eat. It was a good thing she'd brought money with her into the mountains, not that she needed it up there, anyways. A quick white top and black pants and a hotdog from an outdoor stand were a first grab for the woman as she made her way to the Viridian City gym.

"_God, please let the gym still be the headquarters...I can't walk anymore..._" She stared up at the large building. It didn't look much different than it did so many years ago, the only noticeable difference being a small pool in the front with a smaller fountain in the middle. She walked to the right and went up the short stairs, stopping suddenly at the door.

"_What if it's not?_"

She'd never been a particularly intelligent woman, but she wasn't dumb in the least. There was a decent chance that her organization had become disbanded or destroyed sometime in the last fifteen years or so, ever since she lost contact with her boss and teammates. However, risks need to be taken. She swung open the large door to reveal a huge gym floor, with pillars lining up the sides. She stepped inside, happily noting that there wasn't any sort of battle going on. She also noted that the man sitting in the large chair across the room, having what seemed like a serious conversation on his cellular phone, was _not_ her old boss. However, he _did_ seem familiar.

"Oh-it seems I have a challenger," Giovanni mumbled into his phone. "We'll have to continue this conversation another time. Goodbye." He snapped the phone shut with such finesse that the purple-haired woman knew he spoke on that thing way too much. He must've been very important, having people call him all the time. That could mean more than just a gym leader's position... "Well, Miss, are you going to challenge me to a battle?"

She looked off to the side and saw a man in all-black walk by. A quick glance at his chest showed a red letter, and she was absolutely sure it was an 'R'. "No, no I am not."

Giovanni raised an eyebrow at the woman's strange behavior. Did she even realize she was in a gym? Specifically designed for gym_ battles_ to take place in? "Then why are you-"

"What's your name?"

He growled. "If you're from anywhere around here, you'd know that my name is Giovanni, leader of the Viridian City Gym and holder of the Earth Badges that trainers often seek."

Her eyes widened and she smirked. "Giovanni? _You_ took over the organization?"

He looked startled for a second. "Excuse me?" He got out of his chair and walked closer to the woman, glaring at her. "Am I supposed to know who you are?"

She paused. "Well, I suppose we've only met a few times, but I _was_ one of your mother's favorite agents." She smirked again while poking him in the chest. He didn't look much different from when they were both around twenty years old, but he was obviously much healthier than she.

"..." He glared at her curiously before giving up. "What is your name, woman?"

"Miyamoto." She spoke without any sort of hesitation, as if she was so confident the sound of her name would scare the slightly younger man shitless. And that it did.

"...Miyamoto?!" He stared incredulously. "That's impossible! You were announced _dead_ more than fifteen years ago!"

Her spirits immediately fell. "...dead?" So that meant her daughter thought she'd gone and died. "...Giovanni, obviously I'm not dead. Is your mother still...around? I need to ask a favor."

He looked around the room inconspicuously. He grabbed Miyamoto's arm and pulled her through a door in the back of the room before he continued the conversation. "...my mother is dead."

Miyamoto released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "_Dead?!_" The news was a bit more than shocking. Madame Boss had given the woman a job, a place to live (albeit a small one), and even a small army to command. The woman seemed immortal. But, she shrugged, no one was immortal. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Giovanni nodded to his secretary and waited in front of a door for the small girl to open it. The door revealed a long hallway, and as soon as the duo stepped inside, the door shut behind Miyamoto. "I'm sure you've noticed many differences in this building since the...last time you were here."

She only nodded meekly.

"I've taken over, and Team Rocket has been thriving since." His persian got up and stretched after an obvious nap, before stalking over to Giovanni. "You'd been sent out on a mission before disappearing, correct?"

"Yes, Giovanni," she answered. "I was sent to find the mysterious pokemon Mew...and I did, but not for long..."

The name of the small pokemon sent shivers down his spine. "Oh, yes. That's right. After you were announced dead, we did eventually find and catch him. We went through a cloning experience that led to-well, you don't need to know all the details. Just know it ended in complete...failure."

Miyamoto stared up at the man in front of her. "Giovanni...I know you don't care about me like your mother did...but I still have a favor to ask."

He turned around. "Are you sure it's something I can help with?"

"I...I just want to know what my daughter is doing right now. I want to know what she's done with her life after I...left her..." The purple-haired woman held back tears at the thought of her daughter doing any less than complete success. "Please tell me she's a happily married actress or doctor or something..."

Giovanni kept a straight, blank face while listening to the woman's request. "...I can try to find her. What's her name?"

"Jessie. Er, Jessica."

His eyes widened momentarily as he recalled the one agent in his system who shared the same name. He couldn't remember her face very well, and quickly typed it into his system. Once her picture appeared on screen, he looked over at Miyamoto's curious face.

"That's the computer Madame Boss used to search through her employees, Giovanni. There's no way Jessie would be..." Her voice went from confident to worrisome in less than a second. "_No...! She couldn't have joined Team Rocket...no! No, no, no!_"

Giovanni glared at the picture. She was, undoubtedly, Miyamoto's daughter. But it wasn't in her information file. Did she even know who her mother was? "I'm afraid, if this is your daughter..." He turned the computer screen around to face Miyamoto, whose skin paled immediately.

"No...no, Jessie..." She let go of the tears she'd been holding back. Her daughter was supposed to do something fabulous with her life! Become a famous actress! Become a successful nurse! Maybe even be a ninja! Anything but...Team Rocket...

Giovanni let a small amount of empathy slip. "Would you like to talk to her?"

Miyamoto slumped to the ground on her knees. The tears had partially subsided, considering they were mostly from shock. "..." Rather than answering verbally, the woman timidly nodded.

Giovanni grabbed the nearest videophone and dialed the number of the phone that Jessie and her idiotic partner, James, were supposed to carry around. The most likely case was that they gave it to their meowth to carry, actually.

One ring went by.

A second ring, and Miyamoto looked up hopefully.

Giovanni growled impatiently, almost ready to hang up before a small cream-colored cat appeared on the screen.

Meowth stood straight and tall as soon as he saw his boss. "H-hello, Boss!" In the background, Giovanni could see James running quickly across the hallway with a red face, followed by an obviously angry and embarrassed Jessie in only a towel. Neither stopped to see what their feline partner was doing, he noted.

"Meowth, get Jessica." He waited for a second before continuing. "And make sure she's dressed, please."

"Yes, sir!" Meowth scurried off quickly, yelling her name.

Miyamoto's eyes were wide. "Was that...was that meowth _talking_?" Her mouth was agape. She'd never seen a talking pokemon before, and certainly not one with a Brooklyn accent.

"Hm? Oh, yes. He does that." Giovanni scowled. "If he weren't such a weak pokemon, it might come in handy. Unfortunately, when we try to use him for translation purposes, all we get from the captured pokemon is that they hate it, want us dead, and so on. So there isn't much use for a translator when we already know what they're saying."

Miyamoto nodded and quickly looked up to see a red-haired woman walk up to the screen. Her eyes started to water when she realized how cruel the truth was.

Jessie picked up the phone. "Did you need me, Boss?" Jessie didn't notice the woman standing behind her boss.

James and Meowth were staring from around the door frame. "Meowth, why would the boss ask for just Jessie?"

"I dunno, Jim. Maybe she's bein' fired..."

"Meowth, you know the boss prefers her over us-er, me, there's no way he'd fire her first."

"Yeah, well, it's not like she's bein' promoted or anythin' like that."

They shut up and watched Jessie curiously.

"Yes, Jessica. I have some news for you that you might find a bit...shocking." He glanced over at Miyamoto, only to swiftly turn back to Jessie. This announcement would need more than just a simple introduction. "You may want to sit down."

Jessie looked confused. "Um..I'm sure I'll be fine." The Boss was acting uncharacteristically calm and nice for something that was supposed to be shocking. "What is it?"

"It's your-" he was cut off by Miyamoto.

"Please, Giovanni, let me tell her." He noticed that the woman had calmed down considerably, probably at seeing how healthy Jessie looked (at least the girl had something to be happy about, she was undeniably quite the looker). Giovanni nodded and handed the phone to Miyamoto.

"Um...hi?" Jessie stared at the woman in confusion. She knew that face...where did she know it from?

"Jessie, it's me...your mother." Miyamoto knew subtlety had never been a strong point, but usually it was just a diversion tactic anyway. It wasn't necessary outside the field.

Jessie's eyebrows shot above her head in surprise. "My...m..." As soon as the phone dropped from her hand to the floor, James and Meowth had started to run over. James got there just in time to catch the fainting woman before she fell flat on her face.

"J-Jessie!" James shouted. "Ah...Gio, er...B-Boss! What...who are you?" James' sentences mixed together in a jumble of uncoordinated words.

Miyamoto cocked an eyebrow an how the blue-haired man on the screen was holding her daughter. She held in a comment for later. "I'm Jessie's mother, Miyamoto."

James' eyes widened. Jessie _never_ talked about her mother! Or father, actually. He frowned, realizing that he'd shared a lot more about his past (albeit unintentionally) than the girl in his arms.

Meowth stuttered. "J-Jessie's mom...?" He looked down at Jessie and up at the woman on screen. "Youse two really do look alike, wow..." The two boys stopped for a second until a realization slapped them in the face. "Wh-what are you doing at Team Rocket headquarters?!"

Miyamoto sighed. Jessie didn't have very smart friends. "I, um-" she turned to Giovanni. "Am I still a member?" He shook his head 'no', and she smiled sadly. It's true she'd been announced dead more than fifteen years ago, so any sort of occupational status would've been removed from her records. "I was one of the first Rocket agents."

James and Meowth stared at each other in shock. If Jessie knew that, wouldn't she have bragged about it? This was all much too confusing for either of their admittedly small minds. "Well, um...Miss Miyamoto...I think this would be an easier conversation in person...especially for Jessie..."

Miyamoto nodded. "I'll go to where you are. It's not too far, is it?"

James shook his head. "We're just in a cabin in the Viridian Forest. Um...I'll have my Weezing outside so you can look for him."

Meowth nodded. "I'll, um...I'll be out there, too."

Miyamoto raised an eyebrow again. That left an unconscious Jessie alone with a boy who couldn't possibly _not_ consider doing something. C'mon, Jessie looked beautiful! Even better than Miyamoto did at that age, she admitted happily. "Hm, alright. And what's your name, kid?"

James looked up. "M-me? Uh, I'm James."

"Watch where you put your hands, Jimmy," she said while pointing towards Jessie. James had one hand on the back of her neck to steady her head and the other one was out of view of the videophone's camera. It was, realistically, a somewhat compromising position. Miyamoto chuckled when James' face turned a little red and he laid Jessie gently on the floor.

"Yes, uh, ma'am..."

Miyamoto hung up the phone and looked at Giovanni. "...do you know much about her team?"

Giovanni smirked. "I think I'll let Jessica tell you about it, herself. I'm sure my side of the story would just depress you." He chuckled at Miyamoto's shocked glare. "So would you like to borrow a balloon? Jetpack?"

"...a car would be nice."

Giovanni smirked. "_How old-fashioned._" "A car it is, then."

Miyamoto grabbed the keys from his hand. "Same spot as always?" He nodded and she stepped out of the office. She stopped at the doorway for a second before turning around.

"Thank you, Gio."

Giovanni smirked and turned around in his chair, letting his back face the woman in front of him. He heard the door close, and ran a hand through what was left of his hair. "Miyamoto..."

* * *

Ah, another multichap xD I've actually been wanting to write a multichap...so I guess...yeah. This one I have basically planned out, so no problems there.


	2. Reunion

I haven't gotten much review yet but I don't need it haha xD I'm hoping to get all this done in...um, not too many chapters. Although I want this to be my longest fic, that's not saying much. So...yeah.

Enjoy!

----

_Alive_

Chapter Two: Reunion

----

Her arrival was loud, energetic, and reminded him of Jessie.

"_These two are obviously related,_" James mused. The woman's short purple hair had been roughly cut to shoulder length, and her face looked tired and worn from (he assumed) all those years in the Andes Mountains. However, Miyamoto was still so full of life, she'd seemed upset at first on the videophone but eventually grew more confident. Now she was as bustling as Jessie was on her best days.

"So...Jim, was it?" Miyamoto didn't look at him as she slipped off her recently-purchased shoes and piled them on the floor in front of the cabin's door. She'd had a quick conversation with the _amazing_ talking meowth outside before scurrying in to meet Jessie's..._partner_.

"Erm, actually, it's James-" he started to reply, but quickly shut his mouth at the sound of a groan from the other room. His feet were faster than the woman's in front of him and he reached his red-haired companion just as she started to wake up. "Jess?"

She opened her eyes slowly and swiftly brought a hand to her temple. "James? God...I have such a headache. What hap-" She stopped mid-sentence as a woman almost identical to her came into view. Jessie quickly realized that what had happened earlier was _not_ a dream and she felt herself go faint again.

"Jessie, stay with me, okay?" James shook her gently. "You can't keep fainting every time you look at her-"

"Sh-shut up, James," Jessie replied wearily. She tried her best to keep her composure with her long-dead mother staring back at her. She ignored James' sigh as he helped her up and onto her bed.

James glanced at Miyamoto who was gazing longingly at her daughter. Rather than interrupt the moment, he just stepped out of the room. He'd wanted to know what Miyamoto and Meowth talked about, anyway.

The two women were silent for what seemed to them like hours. Jessie was cautious: was this just a dream? A stupid nightmare that she desperately wanted to wake up from? Or was reality really this hard? She didn't want her mother to see her like this. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be _real._

Miyamoto was worried. Did Jessie even _want_ to see her? It'd been almost twenty years since she'd left her lovely daughter in the care of an orphanage. Jessie obviously hadn't forgotten about her, but did the girl resent her for what she did? It's not like she even caught Mew in the end. She'd pretty much failed her daughter completely; every promise of happiness, money, and a successful career had been a lie.

Jessie eventually broke the awkward silence. "...you're really alive?"

Miyamoto rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. "Heh, yeah...sorry for being gone for so long..."

Jessie felt the tears prick her eyes, but ignored them. "It's been...nineteen years...since you left..." Miyamoto hesitantly sat on the bed next to her. "I-I thought you were dead for so long...and now you just suddenly show up..."

"I understand if this is going too quickly for you, Jessie-"

"No. No, it's _not_ going too quickly. If you'd shown up just a few years _earlier_, my whole life would be different..." Jessie bit her tongue to stop herself from raising her voice. She was angry, but it wasn't Miyamoto's fault. This was one person she didn't want to be angry at.

Miyamoto hesitantly wrapped her arms around Jessie's shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace. Jessie was shocked, she was only used to being hugged by James at this point, and waited a moment before returning the hug. She didn't cry, she would've felt stupid crying. This was a happy moment, her mother was back and alive and everything was good.

"Jessie, sweetie..." Miyamoto cooed softly and pet her daughter's hair. "You shouldn't be here if you're unhappy..."

That comment sent a shiver down Jessie's spine? Unhappy? Who in the hell said she was unhappy? Of course, she wasn't particularily _happy_, either... She let go of the embrace and brought her head up to look her mother in the eye. She glanced behind Miyamoto for just a second to see Meowth's tail zipping past the doorframe.

"It's...It's not that I'm unhappy..." Jessie shook her head. She'd never really thought about how 'happy' she truly was. She felt good sometimes, felt bad other times. That's just how it was.

Miyamoto paused. "Are you a good Rocket agent, Jess?"

Jessie laughed. "Well, I used to be." Her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, that's right, you were in Headquarters. Why-"

"I was one of the first agents ever, Jessie," Miyamoto confessed. "Giovanni's mother was my boss when you were just a little girl." She smiled sadly at the forced confession: she knew it'd have to be said at some point, but she didn't want Jessie to know about her mother's life of crime. Although, what difference would it make anymore? Jessie was a Rocket, too.

Jessie's eyes widened. "Y-you were...?" This must've been a crazy dream. It was too coincidental that Jessie landed herself in the same organization that her mother had been in. "So you left for...a mission?"

Miyamoto sighed. "Yes, I was searching for the legendary Mew."

Jessie suddenly coughed a few times and punched her chest lightly. Mew?! Wasn't that the Pokemon she'd encountered multiple times since meeting that stupid Twerp?! She felt that part was better left unsaid. "O-oh, yeah, Mew, I've heard of it."

---

Off in the other room, James and Meowth were sitting quietly, trying to hear whatever possible from the quiet conversation between mother and daughter in the other room. They'd spoken for a bit about Miyamoto's..._interesting_ personality, then switched when Meowth came back from the bathroom claiming that Jessie's mom might convince her to leave Team Rocket.

"Jimmy...what would we do if Jessie really left?" Meowth mused sadly.

James looked down the hallway towards the room Jessie was in. "I...I don't know, Meowth. I mean...she never told us she was unhappy...especially not unhappy enough to just leave!" He sighed and stared at his clenched fists. "I honestly can't imagine life without Jessie..."

Meowth growled. "Even if she's Jess's mom, we're her family now! She's _our_ Jess, remember, Jim?"

James chuckled. "Of course." He looked back over towards the room when he thought he heard the door opening. No such luck. "_Our_ Jess..."

---

They'd been talking for over an hour. Just basic catching up: how life's been, meet anyone interesting, and most importantly...

"Miya-um...Mom..." Jessie wanted to slap herself for sounding so awkward around her own flesh and blood. "What _happened_? How did you survive in the Mountains for...for nineteen years!?"

Miyamoto glared at nothing to think. "When I found Mew, I immediately knew it was what I'd been looking for. To persuade it, I pulled out a picture of you and told Mew all about how important you were - _are_ to me, and just as I felt it being lured in...an avalanche."

Jessie blinked twice. What horrible timing.

Miyamoto sighed deeply. "My life flashed before my eyes at that moment. My only regret was having gone on that stupid mission in the first place...God, if I could've stayed with you, we may not have been rich, but we would've been happy!"

Jessie didn't reply to that. "...that doesn't explain how you survived."

"Mew," was her simple answer. "I don't know how, or why...but I woke up in a cave surrounded by absolute darkness. It was terrifying. The worst part was not knowing how long I'd been out. Hours? Days? Turns out my answer was years."

"You were unconscious for all these years?" Jessie couldn't believe it. Not only was that practically impossible, but in that weather it'd be absolutely impossible. "Th-that's not possible!"

She smirked. "On my way over I picked up a few magazines to get caught up in the times...turns out they've discovered pokemon that travel through time? Maybe Mew is related to that, somehow."

Jessie kept her frown. She assumed Miyamoto was referring to Celebi, and that particular pokemon brought back bad memories of being held upside-down by vines and being forced to watch a beautiful forest being demolished from the inside-out. She wasn't much of a nature lover, but she'd come to appreciate it after so many years of camping out in the woods. "I...suppose it's possible..."

The two women jumped at the sound of a loud knock on the door. They'd completely forgotten they weren't alone in the house. Jessie promptly stood up and walked over to the door, opening it just a crack.

"What?" she snarled.

James was taken aback by her attitude. It was...normal. Somehow he'd expected some sort of change to take place in that small amount of time. "Sorry for interrupting, Jess...I just wanted to check and make sure you were okay..."

Jessie blinked twice. James? Worried about her? She was touched. "O-oh...I'm, uh, I'm fine, James. We're just catching up, I guess..."

James sucked in a large breath before exhaling quietly. "Jessie, if you were unhappy, you'd tell me-Meowth and me, right?"

"Of course, James," she answered. Jessie hardly noticed they were practically whispering, since at the moment they were only listening to each other. "Why? Do I _look_ unhap-"

He picked up her hands and held them in his own. "No, you look fine-great, as usual." After hesitating a moment, James leaned down a placed a gentle kiss on his partner's left hand. "Just remember that I'm here for you if you need me, okay Jess?"

Jessie blushed fiercely at James' actions. Although they hugged and touched each other all the time, a kiss was somehow unexpected. Even if it was a chivalrous peck to her fingers. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds before pulling her hand back roughly. "...thank you, James," she whispering almost inaudibly, although James was fortunately in hearing range. Jessie quietly shut the door and turned back around towards her mother.

Miyamoto had been waiting patiently on the foot of Jessie's bed, looking curious and oddly satisfied. "So what was _that_ about?"

Jessie blushed again. Her mother's implications were obvious. "Nothing like that! James is just-"

"Husband? Boyfriend?" Miyamoto smirked. "Y'know, that boy looks just like a loaded guy I stole from a _long_ time ago. So is _he_ your handsome and rich Prince Charming?" She couldn't help but tease Jessie, the girl's face was priceless.

"Mother!" Jessie scowled with a blush on her face. A second later, forgetting any sort of embarrassment, she finally let the tears flow. She'd just shouted Miyamoto's title as if they'd been together for so long. She shoved her face into the purple-haired woman's chest, feeling oddly comfortable and safe. That was a mother's love, she supposed.

"...I missed you, Jessica..." Miyamoto squeezed her daughter tighter, wanting to never let go. Jessie reacted similarly.

"I...I missed you so much, Mom..."

* * *

Obviously there was more Rocketshipping in this chapter. Bringin' out Miyamoto's character! Ye-ah! Also a reference to James' dad or Grandpa, he probably won't be mentioned again so it doens't matter. Sorry this chapter was so short [or at least it feels short]. More to come soon!


	3. Revelation

Ahhh third chapter already. So exciting xD

----

_Alive_

Chapter Three: Revelation

----

He knew she'd been crying, and he should've known why.

But James asked anyway.

Although it didn't seem like a good idea at first, Miyamoto suggested she stay elsewhere that night and return in the morning to ask Jessie about what she wanted to do with her. The older woman claimed to have no reason to stay if Jessie didn't want her to, in fact, she had nothing else to do that didn't involve Jessie, but James' partner still didn't know what to say.

James walked into her room later that night, expecting her to be awake and thinking about what just happened, but instead she was draped awkwardly on her bed, fast asleep. The boy sighed, wishing he could've talked to her. "_Oh, well,_" he thought optimistically. "_I'll just ask in the morning before Miyamoto comes over..._" He slowly stepped over to her sleeping form and rearranged her body so she'd be more comfortable. Once in a better position, she moaned quietly and rolled around a bit, scaring James.

"...Jess?" he whispered. If she was awake, he had some things to ask her about. But he wasn't about to wake up _this_ Sleeping Beauty, 'cause she was a terrifying woman when she's cranky.

She rolled again, and suddenly stopped. James' body stiffened until he heard light snoring, indicating that his Jessie wasn't anywhere near conscious at that moment. He sighed again, and sat next to her on the bed. After only a second of staring at her face did he realize she didn't look half as good as usual: her makeup was half-smeared, her cheeks and nose were red, and most noticeably were skinny, shiny streaks from her eyes to her chin. It didn't take a genius to realize she hadn't fallen asleep on purpose.

He really wanted to say or do something, _anything_, that could make the situation better for her. It wasn't often that only one of them was going through something awful or awkward, they did everything together, after all. But he couldn't think of anything more than a comforting hug, and he knew those didn't really do anything. He sighed again, and turned away from her face. James just stared at the wall in front of him, thinking about what he could do.

He was torn from his thoughts when Jessie started to make a whimpering sound. "Jess?" he spoke softly towards her. She was rolling on the bed frantically, clutching the sheets and sweating from head to toe. James could've sworn he heard her whisper his and her mother's name once or twice. He didn't do anything for a moment until fresh tears started streaming down her face. James quickly pulled himself together and crawled on to the bed, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them gently. "Jessie! Jessie, wake up!"

-------

Team Rocket? Mew? An _avalanche_? And to think, she used to love snow. She'd always seen these as good things, things that brought wonderful memories, but now they brought nothing but pain and sadness.

Jessie was running, endowed in her Team Rocket uniform, holding only a photograph. She saw a pink creature in the distance, whipping its' tail back and forth in the wind. The red-haired woman picked up speed and stopped only a few feet away from the legendary creature.

"Mew?" it asked.

Jessie felt herself sweating. She'd found it, found the creature she'd been looking for for such a long time. It was only so far away, within her reach, but she had to be careful. And she had to be sneaky.

"Hello, darling!" she chanted happily. "My name is Jessica! Would you like to come with me?"

The creature danced around in the air and came closer to Jessie. It looked harmless, but she assumed otherwise. Most pokemon were dangerous creatures, no matter how innocent or adorable they looked. "Mew, mew."

Jessie smiled sweetly. "I need you to come with me, you adorable little thing!" She slowly pulled a picture out of her pocket and held it up for the creature to see. "You see this person? They're very, _very_, important to me, and with the money you'll bring me I'm sure I can help them live a much happier life!"

Mew floated towards the picture and stared at it for what seemed like hours. Jessie held it up nervously, and slowly reached out to pet the creature. As soon as she felt its' fur under her fingertips, it jerked its' head up. Looking left and right, the creature squealed out its' name again before quickly floating away in a bout of energy.

Jessie felt her world crushing around her. She stretched her muscles before starting an attempt to give chase, only to realize her foot was caught on something under the deep snow. She pulled and pulled her leg, until finally she lifted it out of the snow with one massive pull. Attached to her boot was a single, long, white glove, with a red stripe near the end of it.

She grabbed it and stared, wondering how her foot could've gotten stuck on something that that. Realization dawned on her that there must've been something else underneath, and the red-haired woman sunk to her knees and started to sift through the snow.

Her discovery was more than unexpected.

In only a few seconds, she'd moved away most of the snow from where her foot had been. Under the snow, however, was a giant block of ice. It seemed the entire mountains were ice from that point downward, but she knew there was a rock formation somewhere along the lines. The ice, however, was not the first thing that caught Jessie's attention. Sticking out of the ice was a single, pale hand, stuck in a gripped position with a frozen terror around it. Jessie was tempted to scream, but knew there was no point. No one was around to help her or save the woman below.

She moved more of the snow away so she could see further into the ice. Her discovery sent additional shivers down her spine, and she let icy tears fall from her eyes.

Encased in an icy prison was her mother, mouth open wide as if she were screaming, and eyes tightly shut for protection from the harsh cold. Jessie pounded on the ice below her, screaming, "Mom! Mother! Please, Mom, please!" She reached out to touch the blue-ish hand that stuck out of the ice. It was begging her to touch it, to grab her mother's hand and never let go again. She reached towards it hesitantly, until she heard the wind pick up. It almost sounded like it was speaking to her, telling her not to grab the hand.

The photograph that was in her other hand suddenly went flying with the wind, and Jessie screeched and started to get up. She realized at that moment...she had no idea who it was a photograph of. She'd only said what seemed natural to say, and what would convince the small, pink creature to come with her. The wind pushed the square picture against a tall block of ice, stopping its' movement temporarily so Jessie could see who was there.

The boy in the photograph had short blue hair and striking green eyes. She didn't need to think twice about who it was. She started moving towards the photograph to take it back from the wind, when a cracking sound was audible underneath her. She looked down to see a large, thick crack in the ice below, separating her from her mother's icy grave. If the crack grew any larger or deeper, the small part of the cliff her mother was in would undoubtedly break off and fall to the ground, thousands of feet below. She took a step back towards her mother and heard the wind get louder. Jessie turned her head to see the photograph was being pushed slowly to the side off of the icy wall it'd been placed against. She gasped in desperation.

Go to her mother, or go to James? The question was simple.

The answer was not.

Now she was stuck between her mother's grave and the only reminder of the human companion she'd been with as long as she could remember. She stood in place, frozen by the decision and the cold wind. She could hear the wind around her and the cracking below her getting louder and louder. She cried desperately, hoping that someone could save her from having to make the choice. Jessie didn't think the situation could possibly get any worse.

And then it came. A few snowflakes seemed larger than normal, and she hadn't noticed until they reached the size of her head. She stared above her to see an extremely large amount of snow tearing down the mountain at a breakneck speed, collecting any trees or rocks in its' path. Her heart stopped momentarily and it felt like time and space had frozen with the rest of the mountain.

She had to make the choice immediately, or die without saving either. She cried even harder, not understanding what she did so absolutely wrong in her life that led to such a disgustingly horrible fate. Sure, she'd done some bad things. But did anyone deserve to chose between the three people they loved most in the world? Her mother, James, and herself. She knew that, for once, her first priority was not her own well-being. But there was still a choice lingering and she didn't have anymore time to decide.

Jessie screamed again before breaking into a run, she reached out and grabbed it quickly, sending shivers down her spine. She didn't even have time to turn around and see the fate of the one she left behind before the snow collapsed around and on top of her.

-------

Her eyes opened groggily and she quickly closed them again, not knowing whether or not she wanted to return to that dream. It felt so _real_, she was actually shivering and sweating at the same time. A voice above her sent her eyes flying open.

"Jessie! Jessie, wake up!"

The first thing she saw was the bright green in his eyes that shone even in the darkened room. His expression was full of concern, changing to happiness once her eyes were fully open.

"You're awake!" He wrapped his arms around her body and hugged tightly. She was still frozen on the spot.

"Ja..." Jessie stopped in the middle of his name. It felt like if she said his name, then her decision was made. She wasn't prepared to make that decision yet. But she needed to decide _soon_, or the avalanche was going to come. What would be her avalanche? "_Nothing,_" she decided. "_It was just a stupid dream._"

"Jess, are you okay?" James suddenly brought a hand to her face and wiped away her tears. He noticed that she was looking everywhere in the room except at him, and he cupped her cheek in his hand. He turned her head so she had no choice but to face him. "Jessie, please. You told me you'd tell me if you were unhappy, and right now you look pretty unhappy. Please say something."

She didn't want to say anything. Anything she could say would lead to memories of her horrible dream. She didn't even want to look at the boy in front of her. Jessie hesitantly lifted her eyes to glare at him and tell him to go away, but as soon as their eyes locked, she was frozen. His expression held such compassion and concern, and for only her, that she couldn't do it. Jessie opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a struggled sob. She covered her mouth in embarrassment and hung her head, only to feel James' embrace grow tighter around her.

He got up to get her a cold towel or something, she hadn't been paying much attention. Until her mother came back into her life, James and Meowth had been the only things she'd really cared about. Them and herself, of course, but she decided for the first time in her life that she needed to cut back on the narcissism. Was her dream telling her something? Couldn't she have both her mother and her team? She didn't want either of them to go. She knew she couldn't live a day without James and Meowth, and she didn't want to live any longer without her mother by her side. Seeing is believing, as the phrase goes. She could only know her mother was alive by having her there.

James came back and told her to lie back down. She nodded wearily and did as he said, to the boy's complete surprise. He knelt next to her and placed the towel on her forehead, which had already been sopping wet with perspiration. Shivering at the sudden coldness, the feeling brought her back into the dream. The James in front of her had transformed back into the photograph of him, and through her closed eyes she felt like she was going to start crying again.

"Jessie?" James lifted the towel off of her head and she calmed down. "...Jess, you need to talk to me."

She still didn't say anything, just lifted a hand to her forehead and massaged it carefully. She didn't have to listen to James, he was just _James._ Not threatening, too softhearted, he'd wait for her to be ready to say something, and she wasn't sure when that was going to be. Jessie heard an angry growl and looked up to see James glaring at her. She gasped silently.

"Jessica," he spoke with such sternness that Jessie wasn't sure if this was the James she was used to. "Say something. You can't keep everything bottled up forever, just tell me what's making you cry. Just do something besides ignore me!"

She was shocked at his attitude. This wasn't her James, he would never act so dominant around her. Domination was _her_ job, not his. Why was everything going wrong today? Yesterday everything was normal: she, James, and Meowth went after Pikachu, they blasted off, they rested. She yelled at her partners, they whined at her. Everything was absolutely normal and fine until her mother came back. As much as she loved seeing Miyamoto after so long, everything would've been simpler if the woman had actually disappeared in the Andes. Now James was suddenly acting confident and strong, and she was acting weak and helpless. She felt pathetic.

"...I'm f-fine..." she said finally.

James sighed angrily and lifted her head up to look at him again, only with both of his hands cupping her face this time. "You finally say something and it has to be a lie, doesn't it? Jessie, I want to help you! I know you don't care what I want but it's for your sake!"

Jessie reached up and placed her hand on his. She squeezed tightly and attempted to pry him off of her, only to have him grasp tighter. "L-let go...of me..."

James was angry. Undeniably exasperated at the woman in front of him. She was _stuttering_, for Pete's sake, and still managed to try and yell at him! He stared at her closed eyes and the eyebrows furrowed above them. She was just acting tough to try and get him away, and why? Well he couldn't know unless she told him. That was just common sense. But she wasn't going to tell him anything. He was frustrated with how she was acting, and at the same time never wanted to be closer to her than he did at that moment.

He drew nearer to her face hesitantly, not even realizing what he was about to do. Jessie's eyes were still closed and she still had her slender fingers wrapped around his hand. He got close enough to feel her ragged breath on his lips, and her eyes opened slightly. Their lips were barely an inch apart, and Jessie didn't even notice, she was so focused on his eyes right in front of hers. She didn't even realize just how close they were until he pulled her face towards his and locked their lips together.

She let out a small squeak, indicating her surprise. James kissed her passionately, wondering why in the world he'd never done this before. He'd known it, somewhere in his small brain he knew he loved her, but he never felt the urge to truly act on it. Now that he did, he couldn't imagine any regrets. The moment felt more than perfect, although he knew it wasn't the most ethical way of helping someone, he needed it, too. He needed Jessie to kiss him back and say she wasn't going to leave him and Meowth behind. He needed her to say that she needed him.

She didn't move for a few moments as the pressure on her lips fully kicked in. James was kissing her. _James_ was kissing her. _James_ was _kissing_ her! It seemed like an impossible scene, she couldn't have imagined he'd do something so bold. But that wasn't the first question in her mind. She was really asking herself if she wanted this or not. She felt incomplete without James by her side, but she wasn't sure if that was through a romantic attraction or not. Jessie felt her hand reach around to the other side of his head, running its' fingers through the boy's luscious blue locks.

James broke off the kiss suddenly, not wanting to, but needing to. He waited a moment, eyes still closed, in case Jessie wanted to slap him or finally say something about her nightmares. She didn't say anything, and he held in a growl before letting go of her head. He moved his mouth closer to her ear and whispered, "If you're not gonna say anything, then go back to sleep. Just don't expect me to wake you up next time you start crying in your sleep." The boy stood up silently and, while trying not to cry himself, stormed out of the room. It's true, she _had_ kissed him back. But that was it. She still wasn't going to talk to him, and that's what he'd truly wanted her to do at the moment. He wanted her to trust him enough to help her! But she didn't, and that hurt him more than she'd know.

Jessie brought a hand to her lips and placed them there gently. After staring at her partner's retreating back, she shriveled back onto the bed and squeezed her head, hoping to any God that was out there that this was just more of her horrid nightmare.

* * *

Ah...I really like how that dream sequence turned out. Now I'd just like to clarify something in case anyone thinks Jessie's being out-of-character (or James for that matter).

You may think Jessie's not thinking about herself for once, which is out of character. In actuality, she's not thinking about what Miyamoto or James want. She's thinking about how much _she_ wants them. So she is thinking about herself.

Jessie's acting weak and submissive? How's this possible? Well, with a realistic nightmare involving symbols of one's two greatest loves being torn away from them, not many people can take something like that while standing straight and tall. It'd be nice if we could, but we can't.

James acting strong! Impossible! James, although he doesn't always act like it, is a man. Even more than women, men, especially towards people they care about, have a natural urge to protect and help them. _It's just natural._

I don't know if any of you were thinking along those lines, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose. Until next chapter!


End file.
